here…” he said.
“Safer?”
“Well, as safe as we can be right now, Shannon. Here, sit down…” Tanner spread the blanket out on the ground. “I put this down here last year when we had a tornado heading this way. Now, where are those lamps?” he muttered as he started looking around.
I sat down on the ground, more terrified of spiders creeping around than the impending storm. Tanner finally located an old lantern that he lit with some matches he had sitting on the ledge too. Hanging the lantern on a hook nearby, Tanner joined me on the blanket.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
“I guess so. We’ve had tornado warnings before, but our house was so big… and brick…” I said. My pretentiousness sounded appalling to me.
“This place has been here long before our grandparents were even born. We’ll be okay…” Tanner said trying to calm my obvious fears.
“What would I do without you, my friend?” I said smiling as I instinctively reached out and touched his hand.
“Let’s not find out…” Tanner said grinning.
Suddenly, our tender moment was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder and the house shaking above us.
“Wow, that was strong… I hope everything is okay up there…” I said looking up at the ceiling.
“I can’t get any coverage on my phone down here,” Tanner said looking down at his smart phone. “Maybe we should talk to get our minds off of it,” he said.
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“You,” Tanner said.
“What do you want to know?”
“What lights you up?” he asked. No one had ever asked me something like that.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what fills your heart up with excitement? What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?”
I sat there for a moment stunned by the fact that I couldn’t come up with anything. It made me sad.
“I don’t know…” I said looking down.
“You don’t know?” Tanner was shocked at my answer.
“I never had a chance to find out really…”
“He really beat you down, didn’t he?” Tanner said through almost gritted teeth.
“Yeah. It was bad. Every day was pure torture. I lost myself somewhere during those 18 years…”
“Pardon me for asking, Shannon, but why the hell did you stay?”
“For my daughter,” I said quietly. “That is the only reason.”
“So you have a daughter too? Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Courtney. She is about to start her freshman year at UGA. She’s a great kid,” I said beaming as any proud mother would.
“You sound proud of her…”
“I am. She is the one good thing that came out of that marriage. She is the only thing I’ve ever done that I got right.”
Tanner stared into my eyes for a moment as if he was searching my soul. I felt like he could see right through me. I could feel his intensity right down to my very core. Desires were stirring in me that I couldn’t comprehend fully.
“I bet you’ve done a lot right, Shannon. You were just like a caged bird. Now you can fly, but you are still too afraid to leave the cage,” he said quietly.
“It’s only been a few days, Tanner…”
“How long are you going to wait to start your life, though, Shannon?”
“What do you even mean ‘start my life’? I have no choice but to start a new life here,” I said in a snipping tone. What did he want from me?
“When are you going to find what lights you up?” he asked.
“I don’t know… Let’s talk about you. What lights you up?” I asked changing the subject as quickly as I could.
“Lots of things… horses, cooking, being in love… dancing,” he said smiling.
“Dancing? I would never peg you for a dancer!” I said giggling out loud.
“I can dance. I mean I am not going to try out on Broadway or anything, but I’ve been known to cut a rug or two,” Tanner’s
“Safer?”
“Well, as safe as we can be right now, Shannon. Here, sit down…” Tanner spread the blanket out on the ground. “I put this down here last year when we had a tornado heading this way. Now, where are those lamps?” he muttered as he started looking around.
I sat down on the ground, more terrified of spiders creeping around than the impending storm. Tanner finally located an old lantern that he lit with some matches he had sitting on the ledge too. Hanging the lantern on a hook nearby, Tanner joined me on the blanket.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
“I guess so. We’ve had tornado warnings before, but our house was so big… and brick…” I said. My pretentiousness sounded appalling to me.
“This place has been here long before our grandparents were even born. We’ll be okay…” Tanner said trying to calm my obvious fears.
“What would I do without you, my friend?” I said smiling as I instinctively reached out and touched his hand.
“Let’s not find out…” Tanner said grinning.
Suddenly, our tender moment was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder and the house shaking above us.
“Wow, that was strong… I hope everything is okay up there…” I said looking up at the ceiling.
“I can’t get any coverage on my phone down here,” Tanner said looking down at his smart phone. “Maybe we should talk to get our minds off of it,” he said.
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“You,” Tanner said.
“What do you want to know?”
“What lights you up?” he asked. No one had ever asked me something like that.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean what fills your heart up with excitement? What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?”
I sat there for a moment stunned by the fact that I couldn’t come up with anything. It made me sad.
“I don’t know…” I said looking down.
“You don’t know?” Tanner was shocked at my answer.
“I never had a chance to find out really…”
“He really beat you down, didn’t he?” Tanner said through almost gritted teeth.
“Yeah. It was bad. Every day was pure torture. I lost myself somewhere during those 18 years…”
“Pardon me for asking, Shannon, but why the hell did you stay?”
“For my daughter,” I said quietly. “That is the only reason.”
“So you have a daughter too? Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Courtney. She is about to start her freshman year at UGA. She’s a great kid,” I said beaming as any proud mother would.
“You sound proud of her…”
“I am. She is the one good thing that came out of that marriage. She is the only thing I’ve ever done that I got right.”
Tanner stared into my eyes for a moment as if he was searching my soul. I felt like he could see right through me. I could feel his intensity right down to my very core. Desires were stirring in me that I couldn’t comprehend fully.
“I bet you’ve done a lot right, Shannon. You were just like a caged bird. Now you can fly, but you are still too afraid to leave the cage,” he said quietly.
“It’s only been a few days, Tanner…”
“How long are you going to wait to start your life, though, Shannon?”
“What do you even mean ‘start my life’? I have no choice but to start a new life here,” I said in a snipping tone. What did he want from me?
“When are you going to find what lights you up?” he asked.
“I don’t know… Let’s talk about you. What lights you up?” I asked changing the subject as quickly as I could.
“Lots of things… horses, cooking, being in love… dancing,” he said smiling.
“Dancing? I would never peg you for a dancer!” I said giggling out loud.
“I can dance. I mean I am not going to try out on Broadway or anything, but I’ve been known to cut a rug or two,” Tanner’s
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